Last year’s Holt Festival Art Prize was won by former Norwich University of the Arts student Emily Cole, with an acrylic and oil on paper painting Drifter, based on a photograph taken during a walk through Essex’s Constable country.

It also saw her flagged up as “an artist to watch out for” by festival fine art curator, James Glennie.

The prize is open to artists everywhere and in the past two years has attracted entries from as far afield as Scotland and Cornwall.

The deadline for entries is midnight Saturday June 7. The winner will be announced at a private view on July 19.

Judges will select a shortlist of 20-30 that will be exhibited at the Nicholson Gallery, Holt from July 20-27 - part of the Holt Festival Art Trail that also takes in 13 other galleries and exhibition spaces around the town.

This year’s judges are Amanda Geitner, chief curator at The Sainsbury Centre, art dealer Nic Tyler and internationally renowned actor and Chancellor of The Norwich University of the Arts John Hurt.

Mr Hurt, himself a former art student in Grimsby and London said: “It’s great that the art prize has become one of the key elements of the Holt Festival.

“It demonstrates a commitment to the creation of new work and encouragement of emerging artists, in East Anglia and beyond.”

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.holtfestival.org/art_prize.

The 2014 Holt Festival runs from July 19–27. The full programme of events, including international music, drama, visual art, dance, comedy, cinema, free street entertainment, children’s shows and workshops, will be announced on June 2. Visit www.holtfestival.org.